"Heckuva job" redux: Deepwater Horizon mess reveals more corruption from Bush error

Why should any of us be surprised by the actions of Bush administration officials anymore? Perhaps it's because we grew accustomed to eight years of cronyism and cozy, usually unethical, relationships between administration officials and businesses that were regulated by federal agencies.

And as inept as Bush, Cheney, Brownie and company were in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, wouldn't you know that they would figure in screwing the Gulf Coast one more time? Besides being an environmental disaster, the Deepwater Horizon mess is adding to the legacy of disaster and ineptitude that is the Bush administration.

Kathleen recently noted that U.S. regulators were at fault for allowing the industry to make decisions for them. But that's not all they were doing. According to a new report by the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Interior, it has now come to light that not only were federal regulators shirking their decision-making authority, they were being bought off by the oil industry.

E-mails for MMS inspectors from the Lake Charles office revealed that in 2005, 2006, and 2007, various offshore companies invited MMS personnel to events such as skeet-shooting contests, hunting and fishing trips, golf tournaments, crawfish boils, and Christmas parties. Some e-mails confirmed that MMS inspectors attended these events.

In an e-mail dated January 3, 2006, to other MMS employees, the former MMS inspector at the Lake Charles office stated, "The 40 to 3 ass whipping LSU put on Miami was a lot more impressive in person. My daughter and I had a blast". The next day, the inspector sent another e-mail attaching pictures, including the plane on which he, and an oil and gas production company official, and others flew to Atlanta for the 2005 Peach Bowl game.

What's a government regulator to do when the Bayou Bengals and the U are playing in the Peach Bowl? "Geaux Tigers" isn't exactly what comes to mind.

He explained that he was a “big LSU fan,” and he could not refuse the tickets.

For obvious reasons, including the quote from the regulator above, we're big fans of government serving as a watchdog against corporate fat cats whose only allegiance is to shareholders. As shareholders in our common wealth, we expect government regulators to serve us, the people, and not corporate masters. In this matter, the Bush administration failed us.

With the investigation complete, it's long past time for anyone still working for the Minerals Management Service who took part in these activities to be fired. And then it's time for indictments to be issued. Not only should BP be held accountable for its part in this disaster, but the regulators who turned a blind eye to the industry's operations and accepted these bribes should also be held responsible.

The full text of the Inspector General's report can be found here.